Boeing's 787 Dreamliner - Great But The Windows Are Going to Be A Problem

Boeing's new 787, nicknamed "Dreamliner", looks like it will be an exciting plane to ride, if the picture here is any indication.
The windows shown in this interior mockup are to be 19 inches tall -- larger than those on any other large commericial passenger plane. They're also such that they can be darkened with the push of a button.

This I don't like. Here's another example of the unnecessary application of high technology to a problem. It almost seems like Wallace and Gromit, where they use an outrageous combination of materials to make a contraption to crush a walnut. In the case of the Dreamliner, the new window darkening technology replaces simple plastic shades. Terrible.

Why?

Because, as was the case on a flight to Chicago -- this one to go and lay my father to rest -- there was a movie on and the person in front of me was the only one in the cabin with their window shade up, letting light pour into the place, and harm viewing. The person was sleeping. To solve the problem, all I had to do was quietly reach in front of me and pull the shade down.

Now how am I suppose to reach a button? If it were there, I'd have to get up and reach over the seat in the hope of finding the button and pressing it without waking the passenger. Boeing, it's a cool idea you've got, but it's really not necessary.

I know what they'll do! Make a remote control for the flight attendants to darken the windows from a distance! Man. But what happens when the remote's batteries run out of juice! We're screwed!

CA State Senator Don Perata Poised to Increase Power In Legislature...and I'm Glad To See It

Perata at crossroads in new political era
State senator may enjoy new prominence in election's aftermath
By Steve Geissinger, SACRAMENTO BUREAU, Oakland Tribune

SACRAMENTO With Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reeling from defeat of his special election, Senate leader Don Perata of Oakland has the chance to live up to his unofficial title as the most powerful Democrat in a Democratic-leaning state.

But will he? Can he? Analysts say the stage is certainly set for Perata to be a power broker like his predecessor, John Burton of San Francisco, as the state heads from a divisive special election toward a turbulent gubernatorial election year.

And Perata is beginning to make the right moves and say the right things in a new political era, they said.

“Let's not wait for 2007 (after the gubernatorial election),” Perata said at a Capitol news conference. “Let's make next year count.

“I have the willingness to do what I need to do to make the Legislature work with the governor,” he said.

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A couple of notes. First, the reason I didn't link to the Sunday November 13th Oakland Tribune article is that the Trib has a terrible web-keeping habit of not appropriately maintaining their online article archives. So, within just a few months, the link would be "dead." As an aside comment, the Tribune's website is terrible and does its great reporters and columnist a terrible dis-service. And I do mean "dis."

As for Senator Perata, in all of the 12 years I've known him, he's always been very nice and given me, as a young columnist with The Montclarion, total access to interview him when I was writing between 1993 and 1996 and he was an Alameda County Supervisor. Then, when I headed the effort to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland, the newly-elected California Assemblyman was helpful in writing a letter of support, when Joe Haraburda, the head of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, wouldn't even write a letter of support for a set of reasons I consider childish to this day.

By contrast, Perata has always acted like a friend. Personally, Perata's even prepared letters of recommendation for me. So, I'm always happy to help him.

I also think he will be more successful than John Burton. Burton had a reputation for making inappropriate comments. For personal example, I attended a fund-raiser held at Delancy Street in San Francisco about five years ago, and upon walking past Senator Burton said "How do you do you Senator." Now, I'd never met Senator Burton, and I seriously doubt he knew who I was by face. But that didn't stop him from saying "Fuck off" to me. I'm serious. It's a main reason why I voted for Arnold Schwartzenegger in the Calfornia Recall Election. I believed the California Democratic Party, led by Burton, had become far too big for its britches, and forgot that it served the people and not the other way around. I never considered Perata part of this boorish behavior.

In my experience, Perata's not petty. This is also vastly different from Oakland Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, who's running for Mayor. Ignacio, whom I invited to represent The City of Oakland on a panel on stadium naming rights in 2004, took time to publicly insult me in a recent SF Chronicle article on the Oakland Raiders PSL problem. Why did he do that? I think it's because he knew that I was backing Don White for Mayor of Oakland, and not him.

What Ignacio didn't know is that I did it because Don White's a good friend of my stepfather's family, came to my stepdad's funeral in March of this year, and gave me his ear. Since then, White's dropped out of the race because fomer-Congressman Ron Dellums annouced that he was running for Mayor.

If Ignacio had asked me -- we were both at a fund-raiser for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom earlier this year -- I'd have told him. But Perata never has to concern himself with me, or anyone else, because I've never seen him treat anyone that way. God bless him.

More on The Carolina Panthers Cheerleaders

Click on the title of this post to see the new report.

Was VP Dick Cheney The Person Who Really Outed Valerie Plame? A Washington Post Article Seems to Imply Just That

If you click on the title to this post, you can read the Washington Post's article on the information presented in "Scooter Libby's" diary, and how it appears to point to Vice President Dick Cheney as the real source of information reporting that Valerie Plame was a CIA operative.

Note that I do not say "agent" but "operative" seems to imply the same role as "agent" and yet is broader. I don't think the law specifically states that one has to use the term "agent" to "out" a CIA person working in a covert fashion. But I digress. There does appears to be a series of smoking guns in this case, and with the combined work of a lot of bloggers and newspaper writers, it will be found.

If it does point to Cheney, should he be removed from office? Has that ever happened before? And will he have to serve time? A lot of important questions with potentially dire answers for the Vice President.

Someone Asked Me About My Match.Com Experience - This is What I Wrote...

"...Thanks for the reply.

As to Match and I, I've not really "used" it. I joined last year in February but then starting in the middle of last year my life took a turn. My step father's cancer condition worsened. I was flying to Atlanta each month and then the trips increased.

He died in March.

Then I had a dream that my father passed in January, so I tracked him down. He was indeed ill. I flew to Chicago about four times, and met my half sisters in June for the first time.

He passed just four weeks ago.

On top of all that, my Mom got breast cancer in January --- she beat it. But I was still flying to Atlanta to help her and just keep her company. She now works for the SBA in Houston on a termporary assignment to help people impacted by Katrina get loans. This at 71 years old.

Over this time I've lost friends because ...they were not friends. Where I was there for them, they were too self-absorbed.

So, I have been just plain trying to meet people who are better. Who have a better hearts. Not just via Match.

That written, I've not been "out" with anyone. I'm so emotionally sensitive that I busy myself with work, and most of the time just stay home or go to the gym -- a lot. I frankly can't remember a year where I've cried so much and so frequently.

I've also worked to spend more time with the people who've been my friends and who have shown they care..."


That's the honest truth. I'll also add that websites like Match.com tend to be used as appliances to search for fantasy relationships. In other words, I think it makes people less interested in trying to make their current relationships work.

In all of this, I do think it's important to have a strong relationship with God. In other words some spritual "grounding." I don't look down on people who may not believe in God, as that act in itself is not good.

Mayor Newsom Should Order The SF Police to Arrest Bill O'Reilly When He Comes to San Francisco

Bill O'Reily said that terrorists should bomb Coit Tower according to the SF Chronicle. Let's see, I recall that someone was placed under arrest for joking that they "laid a bomb" after using a public bathroom. Now you know what that person was referring to: doing the "Number Two." But the person who overheard the remark didn't think that was what was meant.

Bill O'Reilly didn't make a mistake. He was serious. Thus, Mayor Gavin Newsom should order the San Francisco Police to place O'Reilly under arrest.

Mom arrested for allegedly offering her 4-year-old daughter for se

This SF Chronicle Story (click the title) was the result of a Craiglist post. I wonder why the post wasn't flagged and removed? I should ask Craig Newmark. This is terrible.

The Evil Behavior of Rev. Pat Robertson of The 700 Club

I believe in God, but not Rev. Pat Robertson. As you can read if you click on the title of this post, Robertson threatened the citizens of a small town in Pennsylvania that they would be the targets of a natural disaster for kicking out their school board, which had moved to introduce "intelligent design" into the school curiculum.

I think his behavior is not truly Christian. There is no where in the Bible that directs schools to teach creation or evolution. This is Pat using -- or trying to use -- religion to advance his own political agenda. He does this with a kind of evil behavior he should be ashamed of. It was not long ago and this year that he called for the assasination of the President of Venezula.

He's becoming a very bad person.

Accused Killer of Lawyer Daniel Horwitz's Wife Pleads Not Guilty

This was reported in today's Oakland Tribune. Wow. If he didn't kill her, who did? And doesn't this re-open the possibility that Horowitz himself may be the appropriate suspect? After all, he seemed to be keen on fingering people he knew.

March of the "PopPols" : Warren Beatty, Rob Reiner, and Steve Jobs Run for California Governor in 2006

I know this is premature, but it does add up to a march of the popular culture politicians, or what I call "The PopPols." Legendary Actor Warren Beatty, Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and Actor and Producer Rob Reiner have allowed their names to be floated as possible candidates for California Governor in 2006.

Governor Schwartzenegger has opened the flood gates. Now my prediction is that California politics will be taken over by celebrities. In fact, I'm going to state that current governor candidates Treasurer Phil Angelidies and Controller Steve Westly -- as much as I like Steve -- don't have a change against Arnold. Why? Because the majority of Californians like him there as Governor, but they don't want him to get too big for his pants. He's a symbol of success in a state that thrives on symbols of success.

But Californians don't want him to make too much change, especially alterations that hurt working families. The only chance against Arnold is to fight celebrity power with power. Warren Beatty would clobber Arnold in the Governors Race. He looks the part of the elder statesman who could fashion himself as the antidote to four years of "The Terminator" and it doesn't hurt that his wife is as well-regarded and as active as Maria Schriver.

I don't know if polls have been conducted, but I'd be surprised if Beatty didn't do better than any of his competitors in a survey that essentially asks "Who would make the best governor: Warren Beatty, Steve Jobs, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Steve Westly, Rod Reiner, or Phil Angelidies?"

Oh...What about Reiner? I think he's been in the news as more of an activist than an actor -- he's been behind the camera too much more than in front of it over the last 15 years. Over that time, Beatty has had a number of memorable roles, including in the movie "Bullworth" where he plays an all-too-plain-spoken politcian.

What about Jobs? His candidacy is a wild card. I can see Steve uploading Mp3's of his election platform into every new Apple iPod sold in California. Seriously, he could do that. He could even strike a deal with U2's Bono, where Bono becomes a spokesperson for Jobs. How 'bout that? Powerful stuff.

"Frank Alizaga, Jr. Open Your !@@$# Eyes!"

I finally understand what this is good for. My friend Frank Alizaga, Jr. has a tendancy to show up whereever there's a camera. I'm just trying to get him to open his eyes. The latest picture of him was taken with his girlfriend Roberta and wound up in SF 7x7 Magazine. She had the right expression, but Frank looked like he had a few, which is generally true.

Or take this photo below:

While this one, taken at the San Francisco City Club, is better, it's great only because "Berty" has a nice wide eyed expression. Frank, on the other hand, just rose from slumber. I think.

Frank! Open your eyes, dude!

Carolina Panthers Cheeleaders Arrested for Sex In Tampa Bar

The details on my SBS Blog....click,
Sports Business Simulations Blog: Prohibited From Dating Players, Carolina Panthers Cheerleaders Go After Each Other In Bathroom Stall. Story Overshadows "T.O." Online